Staging FAQ's- What is Curb Appeal and What Can I Do?

Staging FAQ’s- What is Curb Appeal and What Can I Do?

 

If you’ve thought of selling your house then you’ve heard about staging your home, editing what you have, and making a good first impression.
 

This is all true!

And an important part of the first impression is your curb appeal, what the buyers see as they pull up to your house.

Sellers... buyers begin to make up their minds before they even set foot out of the car.  

They will ooh and ahh and their eyes will light up or they might consider asking their agent if they can just move on to the next property.

Yes… your curb appeal is just that important.  But, don’t feel as if you have to run out and build a Porte Cochere or break the bank with expensive landscaping.

Below are 10 things you can do to improve your curb appeal.  

 

1.Drive through your neighborhood and see what your competition is.

Seriously, take a walk, get some exercise and look at your neighbors’ lawns.  Are you seeing green?  Are they well manicured?   This is your competition!

2.Trim any trees and shrubs that block the view of your house.

Plants grow overnight in Florida, thanks to our great weather.  Take a critical look at your trees and bushes.  Stand across the street if you need to and get the whole picture.

If there are branches that will impede a buyer’s path to your door, be sure to trim them.

3.Lawns do count.  Mow, fertilize and fill in the gaps.

Some of our lawn service companies step up their mowing during the summer, however if yours doesn’t, pay them extra to come more often.  If you have patches that are worn or missing, replace them, just as you would your carpet in your home.

4.Mulch

Adding fresh mulch is like the icing on the cake.  It pulls everything together.

5.Get rid of pots with dead plants; and remove dead or dying plants.

Some would liken this to “decluttering” (I really don’t like that word)  as you would in your home.  If you have pots whose plants are no longer among the living, then either repot them or remove them.  

If you have a 6” plant housed in a pot that is meant for a small bush or tree, remove it and put something in that is more size appropriate.

Weed out those plants that you’ve been nursing along but just haven’t made it.

6.Add some color

Even Mother Nature likes pops of color.  You can add this with some well-placed pots by the door.  Consult your nursery to find the plants that withstand our heat and if you’re near the beach.. ones that are salt tolerant.

7.Visit yourself at the front door

If you think about it, many of us never enter our home through our front doors.  We come in through our garage doors, and then into the kitchen or laundry room.

Walk up to your house and stand for a few minutes at the front door.

Look at the door, the hardware, the light fixture.  Why?  Your buyers will have ample opportunity to do this while they wait on their agent to open the door.

The Florida sun and salt air are hard on everything, so if it is pitted, they need to be replaced.

Clean the spiderwebs that tend to hang out by your front door as well.

Don’t forget your doormat.  It needs to be clean and fresh looking (and not say “Go Away!”)

8.Paint if needed.

Nothing lasts forever, especially things in our Florida heat and sun.  If you can’t remember when (if ever) your home’s exterior was painted, you might want to evaluate this.

9. Look up- don’t forget your roof.

Oh yes, this could be a big ticket item but better to find out now than have a sale derailed because of the condition of your roof.  And, remember, it takes up a big part of a buyer’s visual space as they drive up.

10.Pressure wash your sidewalks and driveway.

You can rent a pressure washer from your local hardware store. Give your buyers a clean path as they walk to your front door.  And, this lets them know that things have been kept up.

 

The condition of your property will go a long way in getting your home sold, and in protecting your investment.   Take a good look at your house and see what your curb appeal says to you!

 

  

 

 

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Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

               

 

 

 

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